High above the Earth's hazy atmosphere, the Hubble Space Telescope has literally opened up a new window on the Universe, as its creators planned, and is returning images and data that are amazing and astounding astronomers. It is showing in unprecedented detail stars being born and in their final death throes. It is finding evidence of awesome black holes and new solar systems in the making. And it is peering deeper into space than ever before, looking back to a time when the Universe itself was newborn. An expert and lively commentary by one of the world's leading popular astronomy writers complements the stunning images, making this spectacular and essential reading for everyone aiming to understand what makes the Universe tick.